Steve Goodier Wisdom: No Problem!

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about   problems. Enjoy!

Don’t worry if you have problems! Which is easy to say until you are in the midst of a really big one, I know. But the only people I am aware of who don’t have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods. Most communities have at least one. We call them cemeteries.

If you’re breathing, you have difficulties. It’s the way of life. And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you! Let me explain. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Just Be Happy

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about   happiness. Enjoy!

In his book STANDING ON THE PROMISES OR SITTING ON THE PREMISES (Dimensions for Living, 1995), James Moore relates an experience that occurred in a New York art museum. One special thematic room exhibited paintings only of roads. There were depictions of busy modern interstate highways, big city crowded thoroughfares, attractive landscaped parkways, happy neighborhood streets, remote mountain trails and quiet country roads.

On one wall hung a large painting of an unusual road that had an ethereal, spiritual look, done in soft pastel colors. The caption beneath it read: “The Road to Happiness.” Two women approached the painting. One of them was visibly moved and said, “Isn’t that beautiful?” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Meant to Be One

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about  the oneness. Enjoy!

In 1942, the American consul ordered citizens home from the Persian Gulf, for fear they might get caught in the spreading conflict of World War II.

Travel was difficult, and some civilians secured passage on the troop ship Mauritania. Passengers included thousands of Allied soldiers, 500 German prisoners of war, and 25 civilian women and children. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Voice of Compassion

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about  the compassion. Enjoy!

I heard a story about Fiorello LaGuardia who was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII. He was adored by many New Yorkers who took to calling him the “Little Flower,” because of his name and the fact that he was so short and always wore a carnation in his lapel.

He was a colorful character — he rode the New York City fire trucks, raided city “speakeasies” with the police department, took entire orphanages to baseball games and, when the New York newspapers went on strike, he got on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids. Read more

Christmas Story: A True Story of a Holiday Miracle

This post first appeared in our blog here.

Long, long ago, in a small, tropical village in a country far, far away, a little boy lived with his parents in a two room house. He could not have been more than four or five years old and his entire experience of life was limited to the fishing and farming village, his neighbors and friends.

It wasn’t that the little boy was unhappy. Given his situation, he was a rather cheerful, optimistic lad, but times were hard for his parents. The village was recovering from the recent floods that had wiped out his parents livelihood. And the Christmas holidays were just around the corner. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: When You’re Root-Bound

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about  the growth. Enjoy!

Like potted plants, people can become “root- bound.”

We have a beautiful “Christmas Cactus” which I gave to my wife as a gift 28 years ago. It has accompanied us through tough years and good times. It has lived with us in four different communities and has been present during the raising of our family. But it almost died.

As the small plant grew, we transferred it to a larger pot. It did well for about twenty years, but then began to die. It seemed that no amount of feeding, coddling or attention helped. We finally plucked a few leaves, re-rooted them and started over. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: A Huge Helping of Good News

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about  the good in life. Enjoy!

Have you had a large helping of good news lately?

A woman called her pastor. “We just won $100 million in the lottery!” she exclaimed. “But I’m afraid to tell my husband. He has a weak heart and I’m afraid he may have a heart attack. Pastor, would you be able to tell him for me?” she asked.

The clergyman thought that perhaps he could, so he came right over and sat down with the man. “What would you do,” he began, “if you were to win $500,000 in the lottery?” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Getting What You Deserve

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our optimism Enjoy!

According to Alan Loy McGinnis in his book Confidence (Minneapolis: Augsburg), actor Sidney Poitier achieved prominence in his field largely because of self reliance he learned from his parents. “I was the product of a colonial system,” says Poitier, “that was very damaging to the psyche of non-white people. The darker you were, the less opportunities were presented to you.”

He continues, “My parents were terribly, terribly poor, and after awhile the psychology of poverty begins to mess with your head. As a result, I cultivated a fierce pride in myself, something that was hammered into me by my parents, Evelyn and Reggie — mostly by Evelyn. She never apologized for the fact she had to make my pants out of flour sacks. I got used to ‘Imperial Flour’ written across my rear. She always used to say, ‘If it’s clean, that’s the important thing.’ So from that woman — and probably for that woman — I always wanted to be extraordinary.” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: The Good Old Days…?

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our optimism Enjoy!

Does life seem to be more complicated than before? Too many plastic cards and PIN numbers and technology? One woman quipped, “I’d like to bank by phone, but I can’t figure out how to get the money in those little holes.”

Computers, of course, are supposed to make work more efficient. I love them — but I feel overwhelmed by their complexity at times. And I wonder how we became so dependent on them. Like when retired Rear Admiral Heintz Loeffler received a personalized computer-generated letter from a respected charity. It began, “Dear Rear….” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Are You Playing Your Music?

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our legacy Enjoy!

We visited friends recently and sat outside where we watched paragliders and hang gliders soaring overhead. They rose up into the sky upon invisible warm currents of air and floated effortlessly by — trusting in their equipment and their ability to keep them from crashing into the earth. But isn’t that risky? Perhaps it is, but what a thrill to experience!

My son is a rock climber. Using toeholds and fingertip holds he makes his way up the shear face of a cliff. Though he fell once and broke his arm, he’s back out there again. Why? Isn’t that risky? Perhaps, but he likes the feeling of satisfaction of conquering the mountain and succeeding at a difficult endeavor. Read more

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